I generally love American traditions, and watching the 4th July fireworks while chowing down barbeque last month was no exception. However, for someone who possesses a mammoth ego, a birthday that falls on that most widely celebrated of unofficial American holidays, 31^st October, and a boyfriend from New York are an unfortunate combination.

Last year, he had a Halloween party in his apartment. Most of my British friends had recently returned to the other side of the pond, so only a few could make it. As a result I didn’t know most the people there and spent the evening chatting to a werewolf, the Times Square naked cowboy and Paulie Bleeker from Juno. I had fun, but did very little in the way of celebrating my actual birthday.

Last year, I put my foot down. I wanted to go out for dinner with Anthony – no parties, no dressing up, just me, him and a restaurant where they didn’t serve chicken wings. Unfortunately this became the cause of a) fights, b) passive aggression – “I thought you might WANT to spend time with me, as we NEVER SEE EACH OTHER” and c) guilt trips – “You know, this’ll be the first time in 28 years I haven’t dressed up for Halloween” (knowing his mother, this is no exaggeration – I can picture him clearly aged 1, in a pumpkin costume, clutching an Almond Joy in one hand and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the other while cracked out on high-fructose corn syrup.)

Eventually I got him to agree to my plan of Halloween a deux, but there were setbacks. Having overlooked the prominence of the holiday in America enough to be baffled by my boyfriend’s attachment to it, I’d also forgotten the parade which dominates most of the village i.e. where all my favourite restaurants are located. Should we have managed to make it to the right side of 14^th St, it was unlikely that we’d be able to get a table.

I called Babbo to test the water:

“A table for two on the 31^st? You mean Halloween? Sorry, we’re all booked out that night.”

“It’s not Halloween, IT’S MY BIRTHDAY” I barked, before hanging up.

The day itself came and we stayed uptown. We had breakfast at the delightful Viennese Café Sabarsky at the Neue Galerie. We returned to his apartment to find a delivery of balloons from my little sister. She had also ordered Magnolia cupcakes which never arrived, but it’s the thought that counts. Shame on you, though, Magnolia. We pottered across the park, past Strawberry Fields, where a couple dressed as John and Yoko were having their photo taken. We ordered burgers at Shake Shack and were given a free serving of Spiced Pumpkin custard because Anthony told the man behind the counter that it was my birthday, then ate them on a bench outside the Natural History Museum. We stopped at Duane Reade to buy Tootsie Rolls on the way back, then sat on his stoop giving them out to the well bred trick or treaters of the Upper East Side.

Dinner was at JoJo on 64^th St. Anthony ordered champagne and pretended he actually wanted to be there and was generally adorable and perfect. It had been a perfect day. Never satisfied, I wanted to go for drinks at the Carlyle on the way home. He was sceptical.

“Aww babe, it’s 50 bucks just to sit down in that place.”

Eventually he relented. Leaving the restaurant, however, a car sped through a nearby  puddle, soaking me from head to toe (fans of Flight of the Conchords may note that he was not “walking on the outside of me” at this point). Retribution on me for making him miss his favourite holiday and testing him to the limit? Maybe. It was pretty funny though. We went home to shower and pass out in front of the Phillies game.

Photos by derek purdy and  thebrokenone used under a Creative Commons License

Mrfionn is Metrotwin’s newest contributor and boy, has he got off to a flying start! You can follow him on twitter and check out all his great recommendations and lists here.

How long have you been a Londoner for?

Almost 5 years. I spent 3 years living North Gower Street in Euston, right by Drummond Street, a mecca for Indian veggie restaurants of a very decent caliber. I then spent half a year in Highgate before deciding a move back to NW1 and Camden Town.

Where are your local hang-outs?

I’m always content to hang out anywhere that serves Belgian beers, so depending on the current location I’ll gravitate towards bars I know I’ll find them. For example if I’m in Covent Garden I’ll go the Low Lander Grand Cafe, or if I’m in Borough Market I’ll go to the Rake. Exceptions to this would be the likes of Trisha’s in Soho which just have a rocking scene going on. Other favourites would be places the The Hoxton and Shoreditch House in East London.

You’re a bit of a wine buff, what are your favourite wine bars in London?

My favourite bar to drink wine in isn’t even a bar. It’s an off license called The Sampler on Upper Street. There you can sample 70 odd wines on any given day and these change as the bottles empty. You can even pop a bottle of bubbly and since their selection of grower champagnes is almost unrivaled in London it’s always a good option. There’s a big table down the back of the shop where you can sit and enjoy whatever you choose!

Describe your ideal day in London.

My ideal day involves a morning of browsing one of the food markets for all the necessaries for dinner, whilst sampling various market delights along the way. Follow that up with a glass of Belgium beer, an afternoon kip and finally a jog in the park would wrap up the afternoon nicely. I like to slow cook when I have time so I’d happily pass the evening in the kitchen, and then follow up with night of fine food, fine wine and friends.

If you could only eat at one restaurant for the rest of your life, where would it be?

For me if I had to eat in only one restaurant for the rest of my life it would be The Ledbury in Notting Hill. It’s a incredible restaurant that’s got better and better since first opening, going from a new restaurant to a two star michelin in less than 5 years. I’ve enjoyed a few four or five hour lunches which have all been memorable! (As for a very close second, I would say Tayyabs)

What is your favourite underrated London landmark/place?

At this moment Broadway Market is my favourite London place. It’s got a buzzing atmosphere, so much quality food on offer and plenty of street music to give it all a soundtrack. The unending number of high quality food stalls is dazzling. Couple this with a super selection of fine cafes and bars and a few hours passes very quickly. Underrated, in the mainstream, in a shameful way.

U
What places do you think are overrated?

Oxford Street is hugely overated. And even at that, overated is generous. I find the street to be a dive. Also some areas in east London are totally overrated, like Curtain Road. Many of the bars there are now just Soho esq which isn’t good. Strict door policy and boring dress code seem all too important…

What is your favourite London-based book (or film)?

I have bias here but my favourite London-based film would be Sweeney Todd, mainly because I spent over half a year working on it out in Pinewood Studios. Even though none of it was shot on location, the film really captured a London look and an atmosphere which is quite unique.

I’m quite sure the city of London and possibly the world in general, would be a much more pleasant place without them.

Photo of Broadway Market by mbiddulph used under a Creative Commons License

Love cake? Care about charity? Then good news – this weekend you can combine both with the next meeting of the London branch of The Cake Committee.  The founders of the Cake Committee, along with other guest amateur bakers, make scrumptious cakes and desserts served as a Sunday afternoon tea party in London SE17, then donate all profits to charity.

If you like home-baked cakes, but don’t particularly relish the thought of staying home and baking them (and I empathise,  my favourite line from all six series of Sex & The City is when Carrie remarked that she used her oven to store sweaters), then this tea party is ideal. There is a great variety of cakes , all the more delicious because the more you eat, the more good you are doing for some great causes.  The chosen charities for Sunday’s tea party are:-

Meeting Sunday 13th June, 3pm-6pm, Pullens Centre, 184 Crampton Street, London, SE17 3AE. . Entry price is £7 per plate, tea included. For further details, check out their Facebook group or to RSVP, email info@thecakecommittee.com

Photos by Sarah Eccleston used under a Creative Commons License

The Ninth Avenue Food Festival was started in 1973 and is one of the longest-running and better street fairs that New York City has to offer. This year’s fair is scheduled for the weekend of May 15-16, 9:30 am – 6:30 pm and is slated to run from 57th Street to roughly 37th Street. Depending on the number of vendors, the fair might begin around 40th Street, but it varies from year to year.

Many of the restaurants lining 9th Avenue set up tables and offer samples of their cuisines, the origins of which span the world. Along with the enticing aromas, music can be heard from a stage,  and there are plenty of buskers performing on corners too. Street vendors also set up booths so if you’re looking for generic cheap sunglasses, socks, tee-shirts, etc., you’ll find a large selection here, but it’s not all junk, so keep your eyes open for rare and unusual bargains.

Having attended this annual fest since the late 1970’s, I’ve seen the forces of gentrification at work. Years ago, one had only to look up and see the fire escapes of Hell’s Kitchen filled with folks dancing and hanging out watching the action on the Avenue below. It was a giant party atmosphere, especially if the weather was cooperative and the sun was shining. Nowdays, many of these older buildings have been replaced by sleek, modern glass buildings without visible fire escapes, and the dancing crowds are less in evidence. It’s a shame that that that part of New York is gone, but it is not forgotten.

In summary, if you find yourself in NYC on the weekend after Mother’s Day, head over to Ninth Avenue and come with an appetite!

Above is one of my paintings ‘March Watch’, an oil painting inspired by photography portraits of people watching past festivals.

Sharon is Metrotwin’s resident New York theatre buff.  Last October she wrote about the Fall Season on Broadway, and just last month we wrote a joint post on our transatlantic theatre picks. Today Sharon casts her eye over the upcoming Spring Season on Broadway.

The Spring season on Broadway has heated up and the some new shows previewing and recently opened on Broadway are definite contenders for nods when the TONY awards take place in June.

A revival of August Wilson’s ‘Fences’,  now playing at the Cort Theater proved to be a riveting night of drama. Denzel Washington steps once again onto a Broadway stage and along with the always wonderful Viola Davis does a marvellous job in bringing the play, set in 1957, to life. There is a good supporting cast and the audience is definitely involved, judging by the ‘call and response’ to some of the lines. A happy crowd exited the theater the night I attended.

Musicals do not get short shrift this season with ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ at the Nederlander and  ‘American Idiot’ at the St James rocking the house. In MDQ one hears the music of the famous Sun Studios and on one night we visit Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash as they sing some of their well-known songs and reminisce with Sam Phillips on the importance of t

his recording studio to them all. There is an outstanding performance by Levi Kreis who portrays Jerry Lee Lewis, this is one performer definitely to keep an eye on – those piano keys were smoking! On the other end of the spectrum is the band Green Day’s offering of ‘American Idiot’, a punk rock opera that dazzled. High, high energy, innovative staging and a thoroughly enjoyable experience. It doesn’t matter whether or not you are familiar with the music, you’ll be carried along throughout the performance.

American audiences are now lucky enough to see two new British imports as well. ‘Red’ st the St John Golden Theater and ‘Enron’ at the Broadhurst offer up thoughtful looks on the artist Mark Rothko and the financial shennanigans that brought a once solid multi-national corporation crashing down. I found ‘Enron’ fascinating, with pop-culture icons interspersed with fine performances telling the tale of the rise and subsequent ruin of the now infamous energy company. As for ‘Red’, as an artist myself, I especially enjoyed this play. The opening scene of the artist sitting quietly in an armchair contemplating his painting truly captures what it is to be a painter, with all that goes along with the job description. There are  fine performances too, by Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne.

All in all, it’s not a bad season at all on the Great White Way – now off to see several Off-Broadway productions next week!

Photos by feastoffools and kamikazecactus used under a Creative Commons License